19 September 2010

I have been following and joining in on the fun whenever I have pasta over at Presto Pasta Nights for the past few years. My cupboards are always full of pasta in countless shapes and sizes. It is simply too hard to resist at our local Italian grocers, especially since they have expanded!!! I want to have pasta every day of the year!!!!

Presto Pasta Nights event has been the baby of Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast for over 3 glorious years. Whenever we feel the urge for some pasta we can go over to her site and have 3 years of entries from all over the world to choose from from pasta salad to lasagna to Pho. All of these delicious pasta dishes have been submitted by all of you!!!

Please don't forget that voting starts today at Foodbuzz's Project Food Blog where you can read my first challenge. Check out my profile here!!!! Project Food Blog is the first-ever interactive competition where thousands of Foodbuzz Featured Publishers are competing in a series of culinary blogging challenges for the chance to advance and a shot at the ultimate prize. Voting for entries on the first challenge kicks off TODAY, and contestants will be whittled down over the next 12 weeks via exciting challenges related to food blogging.

Winners advance to the next challenge, including one lucky Reader's Choice winner who earns auto advancement to the next challenge (solely based on Reader votes. Entries are also rated by our panel of illustrious judges including:

This Friday September 24 I will be hosting Presto Pasta Nights for the very first time. Please send your recipes to More Than Burnt Toast at valleygurl43(at)hotmail(DOT)com.

As this weeks hostess I am sending along one of my favourite and simple pasta dishes from La Cucina Italiana. Two kinds of tomatoes... fresh cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes... get made into a pesto-like sauce for this summery spaghetti. The pesto can be made ahead and be kept refrigerated. It's like summer on a plate. I can just taste the warm sunshine on the tip of my tongue as I close my eyes. The sauce is not just for pasta since leftovers (if there are any) are also delicious on bruschetta or served with grilled fish or chicken.

For Pesto: In a blender, purée sun-dried tomatoes, oil and capers until well combined. Add cherry tomatoes and purée until smooth, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water to help blend, if necessary. Transfer pesto to a large serving bowl; stir in cheese and chives.

For Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and add to bowl with pesto; toss together until well combined. Serve immediately with chives and pepper.

Serves 4 - 6

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

This sounds delicious and I have all the ingredients except pasta. Why is my pantry not stocked with pasta? Because some "bug" got into every package. Just the pasta and nothing else. It's a mystery because it has never happened before. So sad to chuck it all out. I'm restocking and putting it into glass jars for now.

Val, this looks yummy. I just happen to have all of the ingredients so your recipe is my dinner tonight. Thanks! I love your blog! I will cast my vote your way.P.S. I picked up the salad dressing and the crackers.Thanks for all of your recommendations. I am set!Cheers,Pam

Forgive me, Val. I posted the comment before I finished writing it. Ok, so, you've got my vote, of course. And I like your pasta. We have been consuming a lot of cherry tomatoes: they are so good, it's impossible to get tired of them. And they are so versatile.

It really is a lovely pasta. The sun-dried tomatoes are a great addition to the sauce, Val. I have a hunch that you are going to do very well in the competition. You have many friends who admire your skill with and love of food :-) Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.